Online retailers including eBay and Gumtree have pledged to assist police in
the crackdown of stolen goods looted during the riots being resold online.

As a growing number of shops have continued to be looted around the country, there is the concern that many of the stolen goods are slowly appearing on shopping sites such as eBay.

However, a spokesman for eBay, the UK’s most popular auction site, said no unusual activity had happened on the site to date and that it would be working with the police to identify and remove any goods which had been obtained from criminal activity.

“Our thoughts are with the businesses and communities affected by recent events in London and around the UK. eBay will cooperate fully with the investigating authorities to identify and remove any listings which are linked to criminal activity."

Forty iPhone 4s, which are suspected stolen goods from the riots, have appeared on London Craigslist, an American-owned classifieds site, in the last 48 hours, prompting growing concerns about looters profiting from their thievery.

Craigslist was unavailable for comment at the time of writing.

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A spokesman for Gumtree, a local classifieds website owned by eBay, added: “We work closely with the police and will do everything we can to help them bring any criminals using our site in this way to justice."

All users of Gumtree can report any adverts which they think could be suspicious using the ‘report button’ on each page of the listings site.

The British Retail Forum toldMarketing Magazinethat it condemns the violence, saying retailers and staff are "particularly vulnerable and need protecting".

Stephen Robertson, director general of the British Retail Consortium, said: "The shocking levels of lawlessness breaking out across the UK are hitting the heart of our communities.

"The police have shown great courage in facing the vandals but it is imperative retailers know that resources and plans are in place to prevent any repeat of this trouble."